a lonely Inuit hunter waiting by a breathing hole for a ringed seal to appear has found
its way into public perception as a manifestation of subsistence sealing. Although an
abundant seal species, its distance from the shore as well as the fact that throughout
their life cycles they are rather solitary animals, commercial hunting has not reached
the proportions of the harp seal, for instance. In Lakes Saimaa and Ladoga, ringed
seals were considered a pest species in the past since they interfered with the fishing
industry. To reduce seal populations, bounties were put in place by both the Finnish
and Russian/Soviet governments.
30
Since the collection of population data is unreliable, the overall population status
of the ringed seal is unknown. Notwithstanding, the species is listed as ‘least
concern’ since the overall population is estimated to exceed 3 million animals.
While increasing in population size, the Saimaa ringed seal is highly endangered
and has a total population of around 135–190 animals.. The Ladoga ringed seal
displays an increasing population growth with an overall population of around
3000–4500 animals. It is listed as ‘vulnerable.’
31
2.3
Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
I think it’s fair to say that the image of the lonely polar bear (Ursus maritimus) on a
small ice floe is an image that we have all seen at least once in our lifetimes. Indeed,
the polar bear is probably one of the most iconic marine mammal species—at least
when it comes to demonstrating the adverse effect of climate change and the
associated warming Arctic on the world’s ecosystems.
Polar bears are on average the biggest of the bear species and occur only in the
northern hemisphere. They are closely related to the brown (or grizzly) bear
(U. arctos) and interbreeding occurs both in captivity and in the wild. Polar bears
live in the North American Arctic, in Greenland and Svalbard, as well as in the
Russian Arctic. Individual polar bears can also be found in Newfoundland or in
Iceland. These are considered to be ‘stray’ polar bears and do not have their fixed
habitat in these regions.
The interaction between humans and polar bears dates back several hundred
years. As long as there have been people in the Arctic, polar bears have been hunted.
In recent times, polar bears have shifted into the world’s attention as an icon of
climate change. The current state of public discourse oftentimes labels the polar bear
as facing immediate extinction due to climate warming. However, the realities are
somewhat more complex since there is not one polar bear population, but 19 in the
polar bear range states. Of these, seven are indeed declining, four populations are
stable, one is even increasing while the status of the remaining seven is unknown due
to data deficiency.
32 However, media stories such as a polar bear ‘invasion’ of a
30 Hammill (2008), pp. 972–974.
31 Lowry (2016).
32 Meltofte (2013), p. 115.
30
2 Marine Mammals: Some Basics
its way into public perception as a manifestation of subsistence sealing. Although an
abundant seal species, its distance from the shore as well as the fact that throughout
their life cycles they are rather solitary animals, commercial hunting has not reached
the proportions of the harp seal, for instance. In Lakes Saimaa and Ladoga, ringed
seals were considered a pest species in the past since they interfered with the fishing
industry. To reduce seal populations, bounties were put in place by both the Finnish
and Russian/Soviet governments.
30
Since the collection of population data is unreliable, the overall population status
of the ringed seal is unknown. Notwithstanding, the species is listed as ‘least
concern’ since the overall population is estimated to exceed 3 million animals.
While increasing in population size, the Saimaa ringed seal is highly endangered
and has a total population of around 135–190 animals.. The Ladoga ringed seal
displays an increasing population growth with an overall population of around
3000–4500 animals. It is listed as ‘vulnerable.’
31
2.3
Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
I think it’s fair to say that the image of the lonely polar bear (Ursus maritimus) on a
small ice floe is an image that we have all seen at least once in our lifetimes. Indeed,
the polar bear is probably one of the most iconic marine mammal species—at least
when it comes to demonstrating the adverse effect of climate change and the
associated warming Arctic on the world’s ecosystems.
Polar bears are on average the biggest of the bear species and occur only in the
northern hemisphere. They are closely related to the brown (or grizzly) bear
(U. arctos) and interbreeding occurs both in captivity and in the wild. Polar bears
live in the North American Arctic, in Greenland and Svalbard, as well as in the
Russian Arctic. Individual polar bears can also be found in Newfoundland or in
Iceland. These are considered to be ‘stray’ polar bears and do not have their fixed
habitat in these regions.
The interaction between humans and polar bears dates back several hundred
years. As long as there have been people in the Arctic, polar bears have been hunted.
In recent times, polar bears have shifted into the world’s attention as an icon of
climate change. The current state of public discourse oftentimes labels the polar bear
as facing immediate extinction due to climate warming. However, the realities are
somewhat more complex since there is not one polar bear population, but 19 in the
polar bear range states. Of these, seven are indeed declining, four populations are
stable, one is even increasing while the status of the remaining seven is unknown due
to data deficiency.
32 However, media stories such as a polar bear ‘invasion’ of a
30 Hammill (2008), pp. 972–974.
31 Lowry (2016).
32 Meltofte (2013), p. 115.
30
2 Marine Mammals: Some Basics